The Circle
by prettyserious
Summary: Once Renesmee is grown, how will she react to Jacob's affections? Can she come to terms with his imprint or will the desire to write her own destiny win in the end? Renesmee/Jacob, perhaps R/other. Probably mature chapters later.
1. Prologue

Of course I don't own the characters. Give Stephenie Meyers credit for being so blessedly creative. Comments and constructive criticism are always appreciated. - lwright

"The Circle" :: Prologue

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One of my first, clearest memories is of my mom, my dad, and Jacob.

Not them, really, but their voices – soft, whispered, drifting upstairs to where I could hear them in my crib. I was a child but not actually, my brain and my body at odds about how old I really was.

It was an argument. A rush of voices so fast that they sounded almost like the wind…

…_she will have a choice, Jake…_

…_of course, I would never…_

…_normal life…_

…_choose her own heart…_

…_I didn't pick this for myself…_

…_don't want her to know…_

…_love her in any way she picks for me…_

And then my mom, so solemnly: "But what if she doesn't pick you?"

Jake's bare whisper, an echo of an echo: "Then I really don't want her to know."


	2. Chapter 1

I don't own Twilight, yadda yadda yadda...

The Circle :: Chapter 1.

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The gentle sounds of soft, oyster-colored shoes tapping against hardwood. A soft wash of rain, sprinkling against the window panes. Low, murmuring notes of Debussy drifting from the CD player in the corner.

I stretched my body toward the ceiling, imagining I could touch the beams above me if I tried hard enough. Tension uncoiled from my shoulders, back, thighs as I spread my feet and leaned slowly towards the floor. I exhaled as my palms touched the cool surface and held until the blood began to rush to my head.

Stretching was one of my favorite parts of the day, a time when I could unwind – literally – and let my mind wander. Before long, my brain would be too busy counting beats and positions to lose focus. My mouth twitched at the thought of my instructor, Mikhail, throwing an errant shoe in my direction the last time I began to daydream during practice.

"_Renesmee," he had scowled, his Russian accent thick with disapproval. "You cannot become a prima ballerina with the attention of a can-can dancer."_

Little did it matter that I didn't _want _to be a prima ballerina, it was Mikhail's great dream that I use my natural grace to take the world's stage by storm. I stopped stretching and eyed myself in the vast mirror behind my barre and allowed a rueful expression. I wasn't sure how much of a career he expected a half vampire to have in the public eye – never changing, never aging. Remaining perfect in form and function, while the critics withered away. Of course, Mikhail was the finest danseur-turned-vampire in Carlisle's phonebook, so his opinion seemed to count for something.

I hummed along with the music as I approached the barre, enjoying the repetition of my exercises the way some people liked watching their favorite movie every time it came on HBO. I knew what to expect as I slipped into first position, eying my carriage critically in the mirror. Demi-plié. Second position, demi-plié. Slide into fourth…

I kept going, despite the steps I could hear coming up the hall. I knew who it would be – the rest of my family rarely bothered me while I practiced. "Hey, Jake," I called as I saw him reflected in the mirror, paused by the door.

His eyes crinkled a little as he smiled. "Hey, Ness. Still working on that whole delicate thing?"

I chuckled and dipped down into a grand-plié. "Delicate as a boulder can be, anyways. Were you sure to wipe the mud off your paws when you came in?" Behind me, he scowled good-naturedly and flashed a particular finger in my direction that turned my chuckle into a full-blown laugh. "You're such a gentleman, it amazes me."

"Anything to impress you, princess." His scowls were always quickly replaced with a grin. "Where's the rest of the clan at?" He turned to take in the view on the other side of the glass wall now, so big from behind that he'd be scary to just about anyone else.

"Hmmmm…" I sighed, pointing my toe in a way that was wholly unnatural. "Hunting, I think. Most of them, anyways. Alice and Jasper went away for a few days together – they said they needed some 'uninterrupted lover time' or something like that." Alice's face, so happy and in love, fluttered through my mind.

I could hear Jake's low laugh from across the room. "To have such cold skin, you all have that whole hot-blooded thing down." The reflection of his eyebrows wiggled in the window. I rolled my eyes.

"Love is a many-splendored thing, or so I've been told." I sighed and leaned back against my barre, realizing that I wouldn't get much practice in as long as Jake was feeling chatty. As my oldest friend, he knew just how to distract me when I was trying so hard to focus – a fact that he seemed to enjoy. "So what's up, pup?"

He turned back towards me. Silhouetted by the muted light filtering in from the rain, he looked like more was on his mind than discussing the finer points of ballet positions, despite his smile. So easy to read, like an open book in my lap.

"What has to be up? Can't I come say hi without a reason?"

I snorted at his petulant reply. "Of course you can." I pushed away from the barre and walked across the room to flip off the CD player. "Can't I ask you 'what's up' without getting the third degree?"

He grunted in response.

"Real articulate, Jake." I cocked my head to the side, studying him. His smile faltered slightly.

"I know your mom taught you that it's not nice to stare."

"Maybe I just can't help myself when I'm around your handsome face," I said, teasing, as I walked by him to the door. The slight pinking of his cheeks were barely noticeable beneath his ruddy skin, but I could still make it out. I winked, which only made it worse.

"You're terrible, Ness. Wicked, even."

I patted his chest. "If I can't tease my Jacob, now who can I?"

He raised his eyebrows as he looked down at me, and my hand tingled slightly from the heat I'd felt from his skin. "Good question."

Aware of his subtle change in tone, I shifted my eyes away from his gaze momentarily. These moments with Jacob were becoming more and more frequent - it felt as if we were on the brink of a great change...or at least he was. When your best friend looks at you with soft brown eyes that seem so different now than just a few short years ago, it makes you wonder. And worry.

"You hungry? I picked you up some grub at the grocery store a few days ago, I figured you'd be by soon."

"Yeah, it's been a few days." Suddenly his expression was back to the old Jacob, with no flickers of odd emotions hiding behind. "Did you get any of those little cheese crackers? I love those things."

I laughed as we turned to walk down the hall. "Only about a whole case of them, all for you." I smiled over my shoulder, truly glad to see him after almost a week without his presence. We moved away from Forks about 3 years ago, relocating so we Cullens could hit the proverbial _reset _button again: Carlisle could find another job, and the rest of the clan could pursue their lives without anyone questioning their eternal youth. And so I could go to high school and get some of that "human experience" my dad was so big on, away from prying eyes in a town where they'd already spent so many years.

We didn't move far - a few miles outside of Olympia, about three and a half hours south of Forks. Close enough for Grandpa Charlie to visit.

Close enough for Jacob to pop in, not far at all when you compute the wolfy mileage. He dropped by every few days and sometimes stayed in the spare bedroom set aside just for his visits. He only muttered occasionally about the smell at this point, he'd become so used to it. My family had pretty much welcomed him with open arms (minus Rosalie, of course) and they were always as happy to see him as I was. But everyone knew his real reason for dropping in was to spend time with me, a fact I found both immensely flattering and tremendously frightening.

I knew he'd been devoted to me since I was born. I knew he'd only been the best "Unkie Jake" anyone could ever ask for. I knew he'd held my hand, taught me how to hunt like a wolf, and I knew he would always be there for me.

I cast another look behind me as we wandered down the long hallway, towards my bedroom so that I could change out of my leotard. The way he smiled was...simply happiness.

I also knew that, somewhere along the way, he'd fallen hopelessly in love with me.


End file.
